A Disordered Desk Is a Sign of Genius

Dear Quote Investigator: While I am working hard on a complex project my desk usually becomes messy, but I take comfort in the following sayings:

A cluttered desk is the mark of a genius.

A messy desk is the sign of a creative mind.

An untidy desk is a sign of brilliance.

Would you please explore the history of this modern adage?

Quote Investigator: A strong match appeared in the journal “Typo Graphic” in 1947. The editor Edwin H. Stuart sent a questionnaire to his readers, and he was disappointed with the low response rate. Emphasis added to excerpts by QI: 1

When you did not reply we assumed that you may have: Moved to another city. …

Or, that you’re one of those geniuses who have a piled-up desk and you threw the card in the pile and it got lost.

Tolstoi said that a disordered desk was a sign of genius and we see lots of littered desks in our rambles around Pittsburgh.

Stuart used the alternative spelling “Tolstoi” while crediting Leo Tolstoy. QI has not yet found support for this ascription; however, QI has not attempted the difficult task of searching for a Russian instance.

In 1850 “The Science of Practical Penmanship” referred with incredulity to a proverb about another type of sloppiness and its connection to genius: 2

… the proverbial absurdity, that “a bad hand writing indicates genius.” If so, geniuses must be more numerous than is generally supposed. How ridiculously absurd is the idea that a wretched scrawl has any connexion with genius.

In 1926 the novelist and screenwriter Elinor Glyn stated that a messy desk evinced efficiency in some professions: 3

“A business man’s desk,” she says, “is an index to his mind. A cluttered desk means work undone very often, and forgotten odds and ends.

“There is an exception. Newspapermen have untidy desks and are still generally efficient. I know a famous editor who does his work on the corner of a desk piled high with newspapers.”

A man with a cluttered desk, flouting all the laws of business efficiency, kicks out an amazing lot of work. Great literature and deathless names have come out of dirt, disorder and insolvency.

In 1940 an editorial in “The Hartford Courant” of Connecticut pointed out that a messy desk did not impede Charles Dickens: 5

Yet there are those who ascribe special virtue to the owner of a cluttered desk. Any man who is able to produce gems of work from a topsy-turvy counter is accorded inordinate powers of concentration. Dickens was like that: The more messy the writing table, the clearer his expression.

By 1947 the modern proverb had emerged from the pen of Edwin H. Stuart although he credited Leo Tolstoy as noted previously in this article:

Tolstoi said that a disordered desk was a sign of genius and we see lots of littered desks in our rambles around Pittsburgh.

In 1950 Stuart wrote a short item in “Typo Graphic” titled “Genius!” in which he shared the adage with readers again: 6

An artist associated with the design and drafting staff of the U.S. Steel group located in the Chamber of Commerce Building, had a sign over his desk saying, “Don’t clutter up the exhibit.”

And his desk really is an exhibit—everything on it except the kitchen sink. Oh well, Tolstoi said, “A disordered desk is a sign of genius.”

Mrs. Shaw had often chided her newsroom reporters and editors for their untidiness . . . I once wrote a column in tongue-in-cheek rebuttal. I had pointed out quite discreetly, that some psychologists regarded a messy desk as a sign of genius. I knew she had read it but she never mentioned it.

In 1961 “The Cincinnati Enquirer” of Ohio printed a remark from a reader: 8

We didn’t intend to stomp this subject to death, but we have received conflicting viewpoints.. Henry Traphagen of Hyde Park Avenue goes along with the theory that a cluttered desk is a sign of genius . . .

Recently Art Buchwald had a column on cleaning desks and he stated that it was his belief that a messy desk was a sign of intelligence and dedication. Naturally after observing the desks in my office I have to agree.

In 1972 the adage was displayed on a sign that featured in a department store advertisement printed in a Baltimore, Maryland newspaper: 10

In conclusion, this adage was popularized by Edwin H. Stuart by 1947. He credited Leo Tolstoy, but that linkage is currently uncertain.

Image Notes: Pictures of an ordered and disordered desk from stokpic at Pixabay.

(Great thanks to Missy Helwig, John Knecht, and Simon Koppel who inquired about a humorous quotation concerning cluttered desks attributed to Albert Einstein. QI formulated this question and performed this investigation to serve as the third part of a multipart exploration. Special thanks to Dennis Lien who obtained photocopies of the crucial 1947 and 1950 citations in “Typo Graphic”. Much thanks to Donna Halper who pointed to precursors about bad handwriting such as the 1850 citation. Many thanks to researcher Peter Reitan who shared with QI interesting precursors dated 1926, 1938, and 1940. Also, thanks to the “The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs” for an entry on this expression and other related expressions. Additional thanks to Barry Popik for his research on a related expression.)